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Northwest Minnesota Arts Council News

The Latest in Regional Arts Opportunities

Exhibits, Grants, Announcements, Events, Trainings, Workshops, & More!

Ongoing School Residency Grants Applications
September 21 Individual Artist Grant Training 4 PM
September 27 Art & Spirituality Artist Reception 6 to 8 PM
September 29 Art & Spirituality Exhibit Closes
September 30 Individual Artist $5,000 Grant Deadline
October 10 Artists of NW MN Booklet Applications Due
October 17 Arts Grant Training for Organizations 4 PM
October 18 Artist Reception Stephanie Olson 6 to 8PM
October 20 Artists of NW MN Booklet Business Entries Due
October 31 Non-Profit, Govt Arts, School Equip Grants Deadline
November 1 Individual Artist Grant Training 10 AM

Learn more about these programs, services, and events in this newsletter!

NWMAC Gallery Exhibit

Art & Spirituality

featuring Sister Denise Schonhardt

Spirituality invites us to create art.

Art invites us into spirituality.

Northwest Minnesota Arts Council Gallery

NCTC in Thief River Falls through September 29, 2023

Artist Reception Wednesday, September 27 from 6-8PM

The Northwest Minnesota Arts Council (NWMAC) is pleased to announce the opening of Art & Spirituality, featuring the art of Sister Denise Schonhardt. This exhibit also includes artwork by Trey Everett, Gail Ose, Elizabeth Wavra, Betsy Saurdiff, and Noah Hanson and is open through September 29 at the NWMAC Gallery at Northland Community and Technical College in Thief River Falls.

Sister Denise Schonhardt of Crookston is an accomplished painter who “grew up among the hills, lakes, and trees,” which is evident in her art. She explained that her “paintings are about how colors interact, how they push and pull, how they change each other, and how they convey emotion.”

The 35 pieces in this exhibit include oil and acrylic paintings, ceramic art, and pen and ink and depict the nuances and breadth of spirituality. Showcase Specialist Trey Everett explained, “It is difficult to convey in words and sentences what spirituality is to us let alone our personal spiritual experiences. However, art, in any form, can express the transcendent. The artwork in this exhibit is highly varied and a very intimate expression of what spirituality is to each artist. Sister Denise's hypnotic and prophetic artwork gave the whole gallery a surreal orange-red tint when it was installed. I hope when people interact with this exhibit, they experience the numinous, a sense of peace and awe as well as a sense of unease and challenge.”

Gail Ose of Thief River Falls explained, “The canvas is a sacred meeting place for me between the seen and unseen realms.” Elizabeth Wavra disclosed, “My art is the fruits of my prayers and my contemplation of God, and my attempt to share those experiences with others.” Multilayered with meaning, Trey Everett’s works are symbolic images of stations of the cross. “These images of the stations of the cross are designed to be a meditation on themselves.” Finally, Noah Hanson’s pieces depict scenes from Dante’s Inferno and are a part of a series of 68 paintings. He shared, “I wanted to connect with the text on a couple different levels. The Divine Comedy is a poem about witnessing. Dante in the story, and by extension the reader, is invited to come and see, and in seeing to make heaven and hell manifest. I wanted to bear witness and to understand the role of a witness, as such is a large part of the artist’s role. I also tried to put myself in the role of the poem's sinners, creating a purposefully laborious and repetitive project to give myself a taste of that kind of hell.”

Watch this video for a virtual tour of the exhibit at https://youtu.be/t_nCcw8vrPg

NWMAC Staff held an online discussion with Sister Denise. Watch this Artist Spotlight here.

An Artist Reception will be held on Wednesday, September 27 from 6 - 8 PM at the gallery. The public is invited to join us. Refreshments will be served. There is no cost to attend.

The NWMAC Gallery is located at Northland Community and Technical College in Thief River Falls. The gallery hours are Monday-Friday from 8:30-5 PM and at other times when events are held at the college. During the summer, the college may be closed on Friday afternoons so please confirm before making a special trip. Enter through Door B, which is right next to the gallery. Visitor parking is free.

For more information about this exhibit visit northwestminnesotaartscouncil.org/blog/art-amp-spirituality-exhibit-featuring-sister-denise-schonhardt-is-open or for other information look to our website at www.NWArtsCouncil.org, or if you are an artist interested in exhibiting a body of work with NWMAC, please contact Trey Everett at (218) 745-8886 or email NWArtsCouncil@gmail.com.

Learn More About This Exhibit

Submit your entry for our upcoming Artist Booklet!

It's time to submit an entry for the 6th edition of our Artists of NW Minnesota booklet. Learn more and download an entry form on our website here. Or click here to download right now. Or for businesses and organizations, download and submit this document . Or email director@NWArtsCouncil.org or call our office at 218-745-8886 to receive a form via mail. The cost is only $20 for a listing + you receive 20 copies of the booklet! What a deal! Submissions will be accepted until October 10 for individuals & October 20, 2023 for business listings.

Find our a free print edition of our current booklet Artists of Northwest Minnesota at your local library, from featured artists, or in other public spaces throughout our region. This is the 5th edition of this publication. The directory lists fine craft and visual artists, photographers, writers, and performing artists who answered our call for entries, as well as arts organizations. It's an invaluable resource when you are looking for art and artists in our region.

Some services we now offer in our office space!

Need an images of your art?

We can help!

Do you need a headshot?

Or images of you performing your art?

Take advantage of the photography room.

Fall Deadlines for Arts Grants Applications

Organizations, Individuals & Schools -- Apply Now

Grant training for Organizations Tuesday, October 17 at 4 PM

Individuals September 21 at 4 PM & Nov 1 at 10 AM

Applications are open for arts grants to nonprofit arts organizations, communities, schools, and other nonprofit organizations. Applications are being accepted from our seven county Minnesota service area including Kittson, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, and Roseau counties.

Nonprofit arts organizations can start applying for general operating funds. Applications are open now. The eligible grant amount is based on total expenses within the previous two completed years and the organization's history of arts programming. These organizations will be able to add to this grant, as the year progresses, if they need additional funding. Funding sources for these grants come from Clean Water, Land and Legacy funds and general allocation funds from the State of Minnesota.

Contingent on funding, Individual Artist Grants have a September 30 deadline for $5,000 grants and November 15 deadline for $1,500 and an ongoing deadline for quick turnaround grants for $500. These grants are awarded to performing artists, visual artists, media artists, and creative writing artists from our seven county Minnesota service area including Kittson, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, and Roseau counties.

Individuals must be out of high school and at least 18 years of age to be eligible. College tuition is not an eligible expense. This is the main category that individuals use to support their artistic business or advance their technical skills. This category is for non-hobby artists who make substantial yearly income from their art. Grants are awarded annually with $1,500 going to four individuals and $5,000 going to four individuals. Support for this program comes from The McKnight Foundation.

Individuals absolutely must reside in our region (for one year prior) and remain living in our region during your entire grant year (2024). In the case of college students, your school or your home mailing address must be in our region. You will have to show proof of residency, usually your driver’s license.

All other nonprofits and government organizations can apply for one arts project at a time. Upcoming grants deadlines for these are October 31 and February 29. Grants are between $500 and $10,000. Funding sources for these grants are Clean Water, Land and Legacy funds and general allocation funds from the State of Minnesota.

Organizational arts activities funded through these two very important grant opportunities include festivals, community theatre projects, folk music entertainment, sponsorship of visual demonstrations, creative writing workshops and many other activities that improve the quality of life of people in our communities.

Schools in our seven-county region can also apply now for an Artist Residency grant of $2,600 plus an additional $400 if the residency needs supplies. Our teaching artist roster is a great resource to view artists available to teach in our area and is available on our website at www.NorthwestMinnesotaArtsCouncil.org under the artists tab. Another resource to view artists available to enhance curriculum is COMPAS.

Schools can initially apply for one residency. Then based on remaining funding, can request up to three additional residencies into spring and summer. Funding for residency activities comes from the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment in Minnesota.

Schools can also apply for Arts Equipment for their school by October 31 each year. Grants are for up to $3,000 with a 25% cash match requirement. Funds for this arts equipment in schools grant program come from the general fund of the State of Minnesota.

Read more here.

We are offering several grant training workshops via Zoom or in person at the NWMAC office in Warren. You must RSVP to attend. Email director@nwartscouncil.org to RSVP or with questions. Don’t let your questions about the grant process keep you from applying! We are here to help.

Upcoming trainings will be:

· September 21 at 4 pm. Individual Artist grant training

· October 17 at 4 pm. Grant training workshop for organizations

· November 1 at 10 am. Individual Artist grant training

To learn more about grant programs and start an application visit www.NorthwestMinnesotaArtsCouncil.org. The grant application process is completely online and NWMAC's Director Mara Hanel can help walk you through the process of using the grants portal to get accustomed to it. Please contact her at director@NWArtsCouncil.org or call 218-745-8886.

Let's Talk Art is our weekly radio interview and podcast with Pioneer 90.1's Ron West.

Let's Talk Art Podcast

Do you listen to our weekly podcast? If not, you are missing out! We feature artists, arts organizations, and arts events in our region. The podcast begins as a radio interview on Pioneer 90.1 radio. The interviews air on Tuesdays at 3:05pm. Then, we put the interviews on our website so you can listen to them at any time. It's a simple and entertaining way to learn about all the arts happenings in our region and even about some statewide arts organizations and efforts. To hear all of the past podcasts visit our website here.

Some of the recent podcasts include:

9.19.23 KayDell Super The Middle River Community Theatre -- its history, what's new, upcoming shows, including the Goose Festival Production of Arsenic and Old Lace, and more was discussed. Arsenic and Old Lace will be Sept 19-24 during Goosefest in Middle River. Get over to Middle River to see the show! Listen here.

9.12.23 Max LaCoursiere The Oxbow Foundation received a grant from the NWMAC to sponsor Thief River Falls Artist Christine Foster for a Painting Presentation and Workshop at the 2nd Annual Louisville Days Fall Festival. Max also provided details about the event itself on September 23. Registration is strongly encouraged for the art workshop (taking place from 1:30 to 3PM on the 23rd). Find the Oxbow Foundation on Facebook by searching The Oxbow at Old Crossing. Listen here.

9.5.23 Jerry Amiot Pioneer Day is a yearly event that features live music, blacksmithing demonstrations, history, tours, food, and more! The event is sponsored by the Polk County Historical Society and received funding from the NWMAC. Listen here.

8.29.23 Darcey Engen The Co-Founder of Sod House Theater based in Minneapolis spoke about the theater company and some upcoming shows in our region. Sod House will be putting on their show TABLE in Crookston on September 21 at the Eagles Club and in Hallock on September 23 at Far North Spirits. The NWMAC provided funding for the Hallock show. Darcey spoke about the theater company, the upcoming shows, the cast, and their work to bring theater all over Minnesota. For more information about the show and for tickets visit their website: www.SodHouseTheater.org. Listen here.

8.22.23 Virgil Benoit The AFRAN Chautauqua and French-Canadian/Metis Festival on August 26-27 at the Old Crossing Treaty Park in Huot included live music, storytelling, and other art activities. It's a great opportunity to learn history, be entertained, and experience art. Listen here.

Traveling Art Exhibit is

at Hallock Public Library

The Northwest Minnesota Arts Council (NWMAC)'s annual Traveling Art Exhibit is touring NW Minnesota libraries. This year the exhibit includes 15 original pieces of art by regional adult and student artists, chosen from works submitted for our annual juried exhibit. The exhibit is in Hallock at the library until October 10.

The 2023-2024 Artists and Artwork:

Adults

Ross Hier, Crookston, Watercolor
Tim Anderson, Goodridge, Wood Bowl
Nancy Vraa, RLF, Hat and Mitten Set
Lillian Ramsey, TRF, Acrylic Painting
Kathy Panek, Goodridge, Acrylic Paint
Jodi M Smith, EGF, Photography
Dennis Lee, RLF, Acrylic Painting

Students:

Madilyn Crompton, Borup, Digital Photo, Ada-Borup-West
Makaela Longoria, Ada, Ceramic Sculpture, Ada-Borup-West
Emma Gunderson, Crookston, Acrylic Painting, Crookston School
Kaydence Skibicki, Fertile, Silk Screen Print, Fertile-Beltrami School
Carter Lee Johnsrud, Goodridge, Mixed Media Graphite Pencil, Goodridge
Quinn Pittman, Greenbush, Pen Drawing, GMR School
Rhiana Utter, Greenbush, Linoleum Print, GMR School
Maryjane Crane, RLF, Acrylic Painting, RLF School

Watch for the exhibit to make its way to your town!

Need a Head Shot or Photos of Work Samples? We’ve got you covered!

We now offer a photography room for artists to create work sample shots at no cost at our office space in Warren. The photography room offers amateur headshots, photography of instruments and samples of art pieces, as well as live recording shots.

You must make an appointment for this service. director@NWArtsCouncil.org or 218-745-8886.

Sista's Corner in Crookston and Tonnabell’s in Thief River Falls showcase local artist's works.Both stores are looking for artists who would be interested in teaching classes or demonstrating their art. Reach out to Kelly at Tonnabell's or Shirley at Sista's Corner to inquire.

Kate Hammer's Art of Addiction pieces are in our display case at NCTC near our gallery through the end of the year.

Art is Not Separate from Life

Gully Artist Cindy Kolling's work involves fine line technical pen drawing. She often works on carefully selected recycled fiber paper. She considers art as essential to life as eating and breathing. Her work is exhibited in a display case near our NWMAC Gallery at NCTC. Stop by and see it!

Fiber art created by Roseau Artist Aliza Novacek-Olson is displayed in one of the display cases outside of our NWMAC Gallery at Northland Community and Technical College in Thief River Falls. Aliza’s work will be displayed until the end of the year. Stop by to see it!

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NWMAC Springboard DEED ACCs Social Graphic.png

To see all the trainings, events and other resources that Springboard for the Arts is offering, visit their events webpage here. These include zoom sessions on copyrights, trademarks, record keeping, pricing, websites, and more!

Minnesota arts & cultural organizations offering accessible programs and services are welcome to list events on the Minnesota Accessible Activities Calendar. An account is required; register today or log in to submit events. New accounts need to be approved by the Minnesota Access Alliance board before you’ll be able to submit events. Please allow 48 hours for your registration to be approved.

The Minnesota Access Alliance (MNAA) provides this Accessible Arts & Culture Calendar for patrons who use accessibility accommodations. At the their website you’ll find listings of (in order):

* Captioning,

* ASL interpreting,

* Audio Description,

* Sensory-friendly accommodations, and

* Disability-related events.

Each listing links to more details on MNAA’s online calendar (https://calendar.mnaccess.org). Be sure to check the listing or venue to find out its COVID-19 protocol and if you need to make an advance reservation for the accessibility service.

Minnesota Accessible Activities Calendar is here: https://calendar.mnaccess.org

If you previously had an account to submit events to VSA Minnesota’s Accessible Art Activities Calendar, your credentials for that calendar are still valid here.

This calendar only lists events that provide explicit accommodations for people with disabilities. Information about the accessibility of the event location and provided accommodations is a requirement in order to be listed.

To submit events and register start at this page: https://calendar.mnaccess.org/calendar/submit/

If you know of other accessible events, please ask those venues to submit their events to the MNAA Calendar (and to MinnesotaPlaylist.com).

Anyone can get this monthly calendar: email mactfactor@icloud.com and/or info@mnaccess.org and indicate which list you want: the entire list or specifically ASL Interpreting, Captioning, Audio Description, Sensory Friendly accommodations or Disability-related topics.

Join our board! Would you like to be more involved in the arts in northwest Minnesota? Consider becoming an Arts Council Board Member! The Northwest Minnesota Arts Council has openings for representatives from Red Lake, Pennington and Norman. We are also looking for one at-large member who can be from any of our seven counties of Kittson, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, and Roseau.

The Arts Council meets five times a year usually in Warren or virtually and reviews and approves arts grants and arts policy and arts services for seven counties in Minnesota.

For more information and to receive a nomination form for yourself or a friend, contact Mara Hanel, NWMAC, at 218-745-8886; or email her at director@nwartscouncil.org. Visit our website here to learn more and for the nomination form.

Grant writing training will be offered 2 weeks before each deadline ... Sept 21, Oct 17, Nov 1, 2023 and Feb 16, Apr 17 2024. Reach out if you need help!

Sod House Theater will be bringing their production TABLE to Crookston on September 21 and Hallock on September 23. This funny all-female team focuses on food and togetherness. For more information and tickets visit https://www.sodhousetheater.org/table-2023

Halstad is hosting a dedication of a mural in the city on September 23 at 3 PM. The mural is at the intersection of Highways 200 and 75, just south of Valley General Store. It was painted by artist Beau Bakken of Hallock.

Mental Health Awareness Mural Check out the Mental Health Awareness mural created by artist Victoria German in Downtown Thief River Falls

If you're in Bemidji don't miss the Bemidji Sculpture Walk 2023. Roseau Metal Artist Sue Suess's piece "Strolling with the Wind" is one of the featured works of art!